Tuesday, 20 March 2007

Perhaps as you have crawled to work in all that traffic, stared at that unexpected bill or worried that you just can’t cope any longer at work.

For life to be enjoyable we all need challenges that we feel we can cope with. Sadly we are all, at times, faced with challenges that we feel we cannot cope with and it is then that we may experience stress.

Showing signs of stress does not mean you are a weak individual who cannot cope!
It means you are human like everyone else! People react differently to the situations they have to face because they are all unique individuals. Some may be very passive personalities whilst others may be very competitive. Their life experiences will vary enormously as will their overall conditioning. Their state of health will also vary – it is far more difficult coping with the pressures of everyday life when one is feeling unwell.

Life today is very different to that of only a few years ago. It is very time pressured and competitive. Technology is changing daily. Sadly marriage/partnership breakdowns are becoming very common and long-term job security seems, for many, to be something of the past. It is hardly surprising that at times people feel they just cannot cope.

Some of the most common signs of stress are:

Mood swings

Anxiety

Skin problems

Tiredness

Muscle tension

Poor concentration

Changes in sleep patterns

Changes in eating patterns

Low self esteem

Poor memory

Drowning your frustration in alcohol, eating junk foods, self medicating with drugs such as nicotine – this is not the answer
It is very important to take positive action when faced with stress as, if experienced over a period of time, it can seriously impair your mental and physical health

The following proven coping strategies can really start to help you reduce he effects of any stress in your life.

Be aware of your own warning signs – maybe this could be a sudden feeling of anxiety, extreme tiredness, feeling very tearful, catching every cough and cold – feeling run down.

Review what is really causing stress for you? You could be surprised! Think about what action you could perhaps take to change things. How much of your stress is caused by you? Are your expectations of yourself and others realistic for example?

At times of stress we often fall into the trap of not eating properly, smoking more or turning to alcohol as a supposedly helpful crutch. (That possible hangover, let alone "guilt trip" the next day could just add to your problems!) Instead:

Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and keep sugar and salt intake to a minimum. This can help to support your immune system in its fight against colds and flu – ailments you so often get when run down.

Drink plenty of water, it will help you rehydrate your body, and only drink alcohol in moderation.

Try and keep caffeine consumption to the minimum.

Try not to turn to nicotine or any other self prescribed drugs.

Do not feel guilty about including a period of relaxation every day. We all need to turn off from time to time. Do something you enjoy and fits into your life. This could, for example, be reading, listening to music, doing yoga or meditating, enjoying a warm bath with perhaps some aromatherapy oils added to it. It does not have to take long – or be considered a luxury or time wasting. It is a vital part of life.

Make sure exercise is part of life. Exercise which is suitable for you. If you have any doubts as to the correct sort for you ask your doctor.

Do you often find yourself saying "yes" when in fact you mean "no"? Are you always late for things? Do you get frustrated knowing you could have done a better job if you had organised your time better? Learn how to be more assertive and manage your time properly. Many of us waste so much time – often making excuses for things we have not done! There are some excellent courses available as well as books on both these subjects.

Consider attending a stress management training course. You do not have to be stressed to attend one of these. It is far better to know fully what to do prior to experiencing stress than during! We would be happy to supply information about some of the courses that are available.

There are times when we all need the help and confidential support of other people. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. It can be so helpful. If you wish to be put in contact with a local stress councellor/therapist we can put you in contact the one nearest to you. They do charge for their services.

Believe in yourself. You wouldn't have been given a place on the course if you didn't have the ability to do it. Therefore, if you prepare for the exams properly you should do fine, meaning that there is no need to worry excessively.

Don't try to be perfect. It's great to succeed and reach for the stars. But keep things in balance. If you think that "anything less than A+ means I've failed" then you are creating mountains of unnecessary stress for yourself. Aim to do your best but recognise that none of us can be perfect all of the time.

Take steps to overcome problems. If you find you don't understand some of your course material, getting stressed out won't help. Instead, take action to address the problem directly by seeing your course tutor or getting help from your classmates.

Don't keep things bottled up. Confiding in someone you trust and who will be supportive is a great way of alleviating stress and worry.

Keep things in perspective. The exams might seem like the most crucial thing right now, but in the grander scheme of your whole life they are only a small part

Tips for the revision period:

Leave plenty of time to revise so that you don't get into a situation of having to do last minute cramming. This approach will help to boost your confidence and reduce any pre-exam stress as you know you have prepared well.

Develop a timetable so that you can track and monitor your progress. Make sure you allow time for fun and relaxation so that you avoid burning out.

As soon as you notice your mind is losing concentration, take a short break. You will then come back to your revision refreshed.

Experiment with several alternative revision techniques so that revision is more fun and your motivation to study is high.

Don't drink too much coffee, tea and fizzy drinks; the caffeine will 'hype' you and make your thinking less clear. Eat healthily and regularly; your brain will benefit from the nutrients.

Try out some yoga, tai chi or relaxation techniques. They will help to keep you feeling calm and balanced, improve your concentration levels and help you to sleep better.

Tips for the exam itself:

Avoid panic. It's natural to feel some exam nerves prior to starting the exam, but getting excessively nervous is counterproductive as you will not be able to think as clearly.

The quickest and most effective way of eliminating feelings of stress and panic is to close your eyes and take several long, slow deep breaths. Breathing in this way calms your whole nervous system. Simultaneously you could give yourself some mental pep-talk by mentally repeating "I am calm and relaxed" or "I know I will do fine".

If your mind goes blank, don't panic! Panicking will just make it harder to recall information. Instead, focus on slow, deep breathing for about one minute. If you still can't remember the information then move on to another question and return to this question later.

After the exam don't spend endless time criticising yourself for where you think you went wrong. Often our own self assessment is far too harsh. Congratulate yourself for the things you did right, learn from the bits where you know you could have done better, and then move on.

Monday, 19 March 2007

Importance of having breakfastBreakfast can help prevent strokes, heart attack and sudden death

Advice on not to skip breakfast!

Tips for healthy living...For those who always skip breakfast, you should start kicking that habit now!!

You've heard many times that "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day". Now, recent research confirms that one of the worst practices you can develop may be avoiding breakfast.

Why?

Because the frequency of heart attack, sudden death, and stroke peaks between 6.00am and noon, with the highest incidence being between 8.00am and 10.00am. What mechanism within the body could account for this significant jump in sudden death in the early morning hours?

We may have an answer.

Platelet, tiny elements in the blood that keep us from bleeding to death if we get a cut, can clump together inside our arteries due to cholesterol or laque build up in the artery lining. It is in the morning hours that platelets become the most activated and tend to form these internal blood clots at the greatest frequency.

However, eating even a very light breakfast prevents the morning platelet activation that is associated with heart attacks and strokes.

Studies performed at Memorial University in St. Johns, Newfoundland found that eating a light, very low-fat breakfast was critical in modifying the morning platelet activation.

Subjects in the study consumed either low-fat or fat-free yogurt, orange juice, fruit and source of protein coming from yogurt or fat-free milk.

So, if you skip breakfast, it's important that you change this practice immediately in light of this research. Develop a simple plan to eat cereal, such as oatmeal or flakes, along with six ounces of grape juice or orange juice and perhaps a piece of fruit.

This simple plan will keep your platelets from sticking together, keep blood clots from forming, and perhaps head off a potential heart attack or stroke.

Saturday, 17 March 2007

Who can go it alone in business world? Maybe someone like Leonardo Da Vinci or Albert Einstein. For them, magnificent ideas and insights are all in a day's work. The rest of us need the help of colleagues and associates who pool their talents and creativity, their energy, motivation, and support into work teams to achieve a common goal

In today's organisations, teams are the way work gets done. To be sure, individual contributors still have brilliant ideas and continue to make insightful decisions, but eventually those ideas and decisions are improved or implemented in the context of a team.

Let's define the characteristics of a team. A team has a clear, common goal, something everyone understands and believes in the goal could be sales target, the development of a new process, or managing a group business units. Whatever it is, achieving the goal is clearly the reason the team exists.

Another characteristics is that individuals have to work together to achieve the goal. People on a team are dependent on each other's expertise, perspective and efforts. When you think about it, an orhanisation is staffed with individuals who have different levels of expertise - financial, planners, technical wizards, sales specialists and marketing mavens. Even in a work group where people do similar tasks, there are people with varying skills. When the power of those different perspectives and skills are effectively and efficiently brought to bear on a problem or challenge, the results can be awesome.

Finally, when a team goal is achieved, there is a payoff for all the team members. Achievement is shared, rewards are distributed, everyone wins.

Why teams? Studies have repeatedly shown that the quality of decisions and level of creativity emerging from teams are substantially better than from average individuals working alone. A great team produces fast, creative, wise, decisive, consistent results. The points is no one can go it alone. People need to get together to share ideas for achieving a common goal.

Part of making a team work is to have all team members pay close attention to how ideas are expressed, whether team members are listened to and included, whether the team is working. Being attentive to the team process is a critical ingredient to success.

A that wants to be world-class also needs to stop and ponder how it is doing as a team every once in a while. Improvement comes through reflection.

Remember, these are skills that sharpen the effectiveness of teams. These skills can be learned and practiced by the team.

"Individual commitment to group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work" -Vince Lombardi-

Friday, 16 March 2007

I won't see your smile,And I won't hear your laugh,Anymore,Cause time was not on,I can't say I Love You,It's too late to tell you,But I really need you to know

I'll never forget you,I'll never let you fade from my heart,You will always be here with me,I'll hold on the memories, babyIt's so hard to believe,I don't have you right beside me,You were the only one,That I have in my heart,Where did I go wrong?

There is nobody,Who can make me smile,No one else but you,Give me just one more time,To make it right

I label this post as Pearl. Guess what! My officemate gave to me her collection of precious words, rhymes and ...... This is to appreciate her. Thanks to Fiza. A very busy and cheerful personal assistant. Always smile no matter in good or bad mood. Later, Pearl will be full of something that can be shared with you. So, this first post... I would like to talk about smile. Keep smiling make you happy.

"Most people would rather be certain they're miserable than risk being happy"

Thursday, 15 March 2007

Whatever may have caused your bad mood. Stop it. Open your mind. It’s time to get over it. Can't get rid of it but can control from getting worst. Then, when your emotional overwhelming your rational mind, something that is not good will happen... (not going to say here.. but you can predict)

Important message. Don't ever let your bad moods affect your work or personal lives. Never. For sure you will not enjoy your life. Just like a robot. No heart feeling. Better die than living. I guess.

Although we’ve all heard the expression a million times, life really is too short. Here are some helpful ways to help diffuse your bad mood:

Divert your focus: Sometimes you find yourself in a bad mood for no good reason. It could be because you aren’t doing anything productive. Find a project to focus on. The task doesn’t have to be a long or complicated one. It could be as easy as washing your car or finishing painting the backyard fence. The point is to find something where you get tangible results. In turn, you will feel gratified, and feeling gratified is a great way to lift a bad mood.

Find alone time: Get rid of any outside influences that may be adding to your negativity. Shut the door, walk to the park and turn off your handphone. Be one with yourself. Try meditating or doing yoga positions.

Exercise: A great way to relieve stress and get those endorphins going and going. Even if jogging around the neighbourhood, exercises will you feel energized quickly and have better stamina. You also become more in tune with your body and what it’s actually capable of, making you feel strong and accomplished.

Indulge: Go for a massage or chill out in your gym’s sauna room. Ask your best friend to join for you a nice dinner out or treat yourself to that afternoon nap you’ve been dreaming about. Take a luxurious bubble bath. Indulge in something you might not normally indulge in.

Give: When you’re in a bad mood, you may feel like it’s all about you. Your problems are so overwhelming that you deserve to dwell in them. Instead of giving in to this way of thinking, just try giving.

Smile: Find something will make you smile. Imagine of your sweetest memory with friends, love, marriage, achievements and so on. Looking at the photos, watching comedy movies, cartoons that will make you laugh and smile...

I don't really have the idea... how to express love. Do you ever fall in love? What is love actually.. Busy working? No time for love or to be loved? Love is so general. Could be between family members, friends, pets or ...... You can guess, what?

First of all, let's look into the definition.

"The subject of considerable debate, enduring speculation, and thoughtful introspection. Some tackle the difficulty of finding a universal definition for love by classifying it into types, such as passionate love, romantic love, and committed love. "

"However, some of these types of love can be generalized into the category of sexual attraction. In ordinary use, love usually refers to interpersonal love, an experience felt by a person for another person. Love often involves caring for or identifying with a person or thing, including oneself (cf. narcissism). Dictionaries tend to define love as deep affection or fondness.[1] In colloquial use, according to polled opinion, the most favoured definitions of love involve altruism, selflessness, friendship, union, family, and bonding or connecting with another.[6] "

"The different aspects of love can be roughly illustrated by comparing their corollaries and opposites. As a general expression of positive sentiment (a stronger form of like), love is commonly contrasted with hate (or neutral apathy); as a less sexual and more mutual and "pure" form of romantic attachment, love is commonly contrasted with lust; and as an interpersonal relationship with romantic overtones, love is commonly contrasted with friendship, although other connotations of love may be applied to close friendships as well."

"The very existence of love is sometimes subject to debate. Some categorically reject the notion as false or meaningless.[citation needed] Others call it a recently-invented abstraction, sometimes dating the "invention" to courtly Europe during or after the Middle Ages.[citation needed] Others maintain that love really exists, and is not an abstraction, but is undefinable, being essentially spiritual or metaphysical in nature.[citation needed] Some psychologists maintain that love is the action of lending one's "boundary" or "self-esteem" to another.[citation needed] Others attempt to define love by applying the definition to everyday life.[citation needed]"

"Cultural differences make any universal definition of love difficult to establish. Expressions of love may include the love for a soul or mind, the love of laws and organizations, love for a body, love for nature, love of food, love of money, love for learning, love of power, love of fame, love for the respect of others, etc. Different people place varying degrees of importance on the kinds of love they receive. Love is essentially an abstract concept,[citation needed] easier to experience than to explain. Because of the complex and abstract nature of love, discourse on love is commonly reduced to a thought-terminating cliché, and there are a number of common proverbs regarding love, from Virgil's "Love conquers all" to The Beatles' "All you need is love"."

Love can be determined in a few different ways. It can be in terms of scientific (biology and psychology of love), philosophical,religious and cultural views.

Sounds really big, huh? Never think about that before? Why? When we talk about love.. most of us only think... being close in a relationship... bla..bla..bla.. and then get married, have children. No way! Don't only think it's like a Cinderella or Little Mermaid story. Love is part our life. So, think for yourself.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails."

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